Optical System and Method to Mimic Zero-Border Display

ABSTRACT

A system and methods to extending the overall display area for a device. At or near the borders of a device, pixel pitch between adjacent pixels may be increased such that overall pixel placement may be provided closer to a border of a display of a device. In one embodiment, pixel drive circuitry may be located in the spacing between adjacent pixels. Additionally, various optical systems and techniques may be utilized to provide an appearance of a lack of a border around the display such as decreasing the size of border pixels, overdriving the border pixels, or utilizing a light pipe on a surface above the border pixels.

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/150,278, filed May 9, 2016, which is a division of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/251,103, filed Sep. 30, 2011, which are herebyincorporated by reference herein in their entireties. This applicationclaims the benefit of and claims priority to U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 15/150,278, filed May 9, 2016, and U.S. patent application Ser.No. 13/251,103, filed Sep. 30, 2011.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates generally to electronic displays and,more particularly, to increasing overall visible area for an organiclight emitting diode (OLED) display.

This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects ofart that may be related to various aspects of the present disclosure,which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed tobe helpful in providing the reader with background information tofacilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the presentdisclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statementsare to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.

Flat panel displays, such as liquid crystal displays (LCDs) organiclight emitting diode (OLED) displays, are commonly used in a widevariety of electronic devices, including such electronic devices astelevisions, computers, and hand-held devices (e.g., cellulartelephones, audio and video players, gaming systems, and so forth). Suchdisplay panels typically provide a flat display in a relatively thinpackage that is suitable for use in a variety of electronic goods. Inaddition, such devices typically use less power than comparable displaytechnologies, making them suitable for use in battery-powered devices orin other contexts where it is desirable to reduce power usage.

Electronic displays typically include a border around the display. Thisborder may be utilized to conceal, for example, drive circuitry used tooperate the display. However, use of this border reduces the overallvisible space available to display images. Accordingly, it would bebeneficial to implement a system that increases the overall usable spacefor a display by reducing the impact of borders around the display.

SUMMARY

A summary of certain embodiments disclosed herein is set forth below. Itshould be understood that these aspects are presented merely to providethe reader with a brief summary of these certain embodiments and thatthese aspects are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure.Indeed, this disclosure may encompass a variety of aspects that may notbe set forth below.

Systems and methods are disclosed that extending the overall visibledisplay area for an electronic device. One technique for extending theoverall viewable area of an electronic device includes increasing pixelpitch (i.e., the distance between adjacent pixels) in border regions ofthe electronic device. In this manner, drive circuitry elements may beinterspersed between pixel elements of the device in the border regionto increase the overall viewing area of a display of the device. Anothertechnique may include utilizing a light pipe to transmit light generatedin an active pixel area of the display of the electronic device to anarea that does not generate light, for example, over the area of thedisplay containing the drive circuitry. Further techniques may includeadjusting the size and or intensity of pixels in a border regionadjacent, for example, drive circuitry in an effort to extend theoverall perceived display area of the electronic device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various aspects of this disclosure may be better understood upon readingthe following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic device capable of performingthe techniques disclosed herein, in accordance with an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is an embodiment of the electronic device of FIG. 1 in the formof a computer, n accordance with an embodiment;

FIG. 3 is an embodiment of the electronic device of FIG. 1, in the formof a handheld device, in accordance with an embodiment;

FIG. 4A is a top view of an organic light emitting diode (OLED) displayof the electronic device of FIG. 1, with a first perceived active area,in accordance with an embodiment;

FIG. 4B is a top view of an organic light emitting diode (OLED) displayof the electronic device of FIG. 1, with a second perceived active area,in accordance with an embodiment;

FIG. 5A is second top view of an organic light emitting diode (OLED)display of the electronic device of FIG. 1, with a first perceivedactive area, in accordance with an embodiment;

FIG. 5B is a second top view of an organic light emitting diode (OLED)display of the electronic device of FIG. 1, with a second perceivedactive area, in accordance with an embodiment;

FIG. 6A is a third top view of an organic light emitting diode (OLED)display of the electronic device of FIG. 1, with a first perceivedactive area, in accordance with an embodiment; and

FIG. 6B is a third top view of an organic light emitting diode (OLED)display of the electronic device of FIG. 1, with a second perceivedactive area, in accordance with an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS

One or more specific embodiments will be described below. In an effortto provide a concise description of these embodiments, not all featuresof an actual implementation are described in the specification. Itshould be appreciated that in the development of any such actualimplementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerousimplementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve thedevelopers' specific goals, such as compliance with system-related andbusiness-related constraints, which may vary from one implementation toanother. Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a developmenteffort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be aroutine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those ofordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure.

Present embodiments relate to techniques for efficiently increasing theperceived display area of a display for an electronic device. Thesetechniques may include increasing pixel pitch (i.e., the distancebetween adjacent pixels) in border regions of the electronic device andutilizing the empty space between pixels to include drive circuitry.That is, drive circuitry elements may be interspersed between pixelelements of the device in the border region of the device to increasethe overall viewing area of a display of the device.

Another embodiment may include utilizing a light pipe to transmit lightgenerated in an active pixel area of the display of the electronicdevice to an area that does not generate light. For example, light maybe transmitted via the light pipe to an area of the display containingthe drive circuitry. Additional embodiments may include adjusting thesize and or intensity of pixels in a border region adjacent to, forexample, drive circuitry, in an effort to extend the overall perceiveddisplay area of the electronic device.

With the foregoing in mind, FIG. 1 represents a block diagram of anelectronic device 10 employing an organic light emitting diode (OLED)display 14 employing a greater surface area as a result of, for example,reduced bordering around the display 14. Among other things, theelectronic device 10 may include the processor(s) 12, the display 14,memory 16, nonvolatile storage 18, input structures 20, an input/output(I/O) interface 22, network interface(s) 24, and/or an expansion card26. In alternative embodiments, the electronic device 10 may includemore or fewer components than those listed above

In general, the processor(s) 12 may govern the operation of theelectronic device 10. The processor(s) 12 may provide the processingcapability to execute the operating system, programs, user andapplication interfaces, and any other functions of the electronic device10. The processor(s) 12 may include one or more microprocessors, such asone or more “general-purpose” microprocessors, one or morespecial-purpose microprocessors and/or ASICS, or some combination ofsuch processing components. For example, the processor(s) 12 may includeone or more reduced instruction set (RISC) processors, as well asgraphics processors, video processors, audio processors and/or relatedchip sets.

The instructions or data to be processed by the processor(s) 12 may bestored in a computer-readable medium, such as a memory 16. Such a memory16 may be provided as a volatile memory, such as random access memory(RAM), and/or as a non-volatile memory, such as read-only memory (ROM).The memory 16 may store a variety of information and may be used forvarious purposes. For example, the memory 16 may store firmware for theelectronic device 10 (such as a basic input/output instruction oroperating system instructions), various programs, applications, orroutines executed on the electronic device 10, user interface functions,processor functions, and so forth. In addition, the memory 16 may beused for buffering or caching during operation of the electronic device10.

The components of electronic device 10 may further include other formsof computer-readable media, such as a non-volatile storage 18, forpersistent storage of data and/or instructions. The non-volatile storage18 may include flash memory, a hard drive, or any other optical,magnetic, and/or solid-state storage media. The non-volatile storage 18may be used, for example, to store firmware, data files, software,wireless connection information, and any other suitable data.

In some embodiments, based on instructions loaded into the memory 16from the nonvolatile storage 18, the processor(s) 12 may respond to usertouch gestures input via the display 14. The display 14 may be anorganic light emitting diode (OLED) display. Accordingly, the display 14may be used to display various images generated by the device 10.Additionally, in certain embodiments of the electronic device 10, thedisplay 14 may be provided in conjunction with touch-sensitive element,such as a touch screen, that may be used as part of the controlinterface for the device 10. In this manner, the display 14 mayrepresent one of the input structures 20 by providing interactivefunctionality, thus allowing a user to navigate the displayed interfaceby touching the display 10.

Other input structures 20 may include, for example, buttons, sliders,switches, control pads, keys, knobs, scroll wheels, keyboards, mice,touchpads, and so forth. Accordingly, the input structures 20 mayinclude various devices and/or circuitry by which user input or feedbackis provided to the processor(s) 12. For example, the input structures 20may allow a user to navigate a displayed user interface or applicationinterface. In this way, the displayed interface may provide interactivefunctionality, allowing a user to navigate the displayed interface bytouching the display 10.

The electronic device may also include an I/0 interface 22. The I/Ointerface 22 may enable the electronic device 10 to transmit data to andreceive data from other electronic devices 10 and/or various peripheraldevices. The I/O interface 22 may thus include ports configured toconnect to a variety of external devices, such as a power source,headset or headphones, external keyboards, mice, or other electronicdevices (such as handheld devices and/or computers, printers,projectors, external displays, modems, docking stations, and so forth).The I/O interface 22 may support any interface type, such as a universalserial bus (USB) port, a video port, a serial connection port, anII-EE-1394 port, and/or an Ethernet or modem port.

Additionally, the electronic device 10 may include a network interface24 that may include a network controller or a network interface card(NIC). Thus, in one embodiment, the network interface 24 may be awireless NIC providing wireless connectivity over any 802.11 standard orany other suitable wireless networking standard. The network interface24 may allow the electronic device 10 to communicate over a network,such as a personal area network (PAN) (e.g., Bluetooth), a local areanetwork (LAN) (e.g., Wi-Fi), a wide area network (WAN) (e.g., 3G or 4G).

The embodiment of the electronic device 10 illustrated in FIG. 1 mayalso include one or more card or expansion slots. The card slots may beconfigured to receive an expansion card 26 that may be used to addfunctionality, such as additional memory, I/O functionality, ornetworking capability, to the electronic device 10. Such an expansioncard 26 may connect to the device through any type of suitableconnector, and may be accessed internally or external to the housing ofthe electronic device 10. For example, in one embodiment, the expansioncard 26 may be flash memory card, such as a SecureDigital (SD) card,mini- or microSD, CompactFlash card, Multimedia card (MMC), or the like.

Additionally, the electronic device 10 may also include a power source28. In one embodiment, the power source 28 may be one or more batteries,such as a lithium-ion polymer battery or other type of suitable battery.The battery may be user-removable or may be secured within the housingof the electronic device 10, and may be rechargeable. Additionally, thepower source 28 may include AC power, such as provided by an electricaloutlet, and the electronic device 10 may be connected to the powersource 28 via a power adapter. This power adapter may also be used torecharge one or more batteries of the electronic device 10, if present.

One embodiment of the electronic device 10 of FIG. 1 is illustrated inFIG. 2. Specifically, FIG. 2 illustrates the electronic device 10 in theform of a computer 30. The computer 30 may be generally portable (suchas a laptop, a notebook computer, a tablet computer, a netbook, and soforth) and may be a model of a MacBook®, MacBook® Pro, MacBook Air®,iMac®, Mac® mini, or Mac Pro® available from Apple Inc. of Cupertino,Calif. In another embodiment, the electronic device 10 may be a tabletcomputing device, such as an iPad® available from Apple Inc. By way ofexample, a laptop computer 30 is illustrated in FIG. 3 and represents anembodiment of the electronic device 10 in accordance with one embodimentof the present disclosure. Among other things, the computer 30 includesa housing 32, the display 14 (such as the depicted OLED display panel),input structures 20, and input/output interfaces 22. In one embodiment,the input structures 20 (such as a keyboard and/or touchpad) may enableinteraction with the computer 30, such as to start, control, or operatea graphical user interface (GUI) or applications running on the computer30. For example, a keyboard and/or touchpad may allow a user to navigatea user interface or application interface displayed on the display 14.Also as depicted, the computer 30 may also include various I/Ointerfaces 22, such as a USB port or other ports suitable for connectingto other electronic devices. In addition, the computer 30 may includenetwork connectivity, memory, and storage capabilities, as describedwith respect to FIG. 1.

As illustrated, the computer 30 may have a perceived active area 34 forthe display 14 on which a user may perceive images as being displayed.As will be discussed in greater detail below with respect to FIGS.4A-6B, techniques may be implemented in the computer 30 to increase thesize of this perceived active area 34 to perceived active area 36. Thatis, techniques will be discussed to generate the perceived active area36, effectively shrinking the border area 38 surrounding the display 14and, thus, providing a user an effective larger display 14 area.

In addition to computers, such as the depicted laptop computer 30 ofFIG. 2, the electronic device 10 may take other forms, such as theelectronic handheld device 40 depicted in FIG. 3. It should be notedthat while the depicted handheld device 40 is provided in the context ofa cellular telephone, other types of handheld devices (such as mediaplayers for playing music and/or video, a camera or video recorder,personal data organizers, handheld game platforms, and/or combinationsof such devices) may also be suitably provided as the electronic device10. Further, a suitable handheld device 40 may incorporate thefunctionality of more than one of these types of devices, such as adevice that incorporates the functionality of two or more of a mediaplayer, a cellular phone, a gaming platform, a personal data organizer,and so forth. For example, in the depicted embodiment, the handhelddevice 40 is in the form of a cellular telephone that may providevarious additional functionalities (such as the ability to takepictures, record audio and/or video, listen to music, play games, and soforth). Moreover, as discussed with respect to the electronic device 10of FIG. 1, the handheld device 40 may allow a user to connect to andcommunicate through the Internet or through other networks, such aslocal or wide area networks. Additionally, the handheld device 40 alsomay communicate with other devices using short-range connections, suchas Bluetooth and/or near field communication (NFC). By way of example,the handheld device 40 may be a model of an iPod® or iPhone® availablefrom Apple Inc.

The handheld device 40 may include a display 14 that may include an OLEDdisplay panel. The display 14 may be used to display a graphical userinterface (GUI), which may allows a user to interact with the handhelddevice 40. For example, the GUI may include graphical elements thatrepresent applications and functions of the electronic device such asicons 35 and/or indicators 37. The icons 35 may be selected and/oractivated via a touch screen included in the display 10, or may beselected by a user input structure 20, such as a wheel or button. Thehandheld device may further include other elements, such as a camera 39and a speaker 41.

The handheld device 40 may also include an enclosure 42 or body thatprotects the interior components of the handheld electronic device 40from physical damage and shields them from electromagnetic interference.The enclosure may be formed from any suitable material such as plastic,metal or a composite material and may allow certain frequencies ofelectromagnetic radiation to pass through to wireless communicationcircuitry within the handheld device 40 to facilitate wirelesscommunication.

The handheld device 40 also includes user input structures 20, throughwhich a user may interface with the device. Each user input structure 20may be configured to help control a device function of the handhelddevice 40 when actuated. For example, in a cellular telephoneimplementation, one or more of the input structures 20 may be configuredto invoke a “home” screen or menu to be displayed, to toggle between asleep and a wake mode, to silence a ringer for a cell phone application,to increase or decrease a volume output, and so forth. The handhelddevice 40 may additionally include various I/O interfaces 22 that allowconnection of the handheld device 40 to external devices. For example,one I/O interface 22 may be a port that allows the transmission andreception of data or commands between the handheld device 40 and anotherelectronic device, such as the computer 30. Such a port may be aproprietary port from Apple Inc. or may be an open standard I/O port.Another I/O interface 22 may include a headphone jack to allow a headsetto connect to the handheld device 40.

Furthermore, similar to the computer 30 illustrated in FIG. 2, thehandheld device 40 may have a perceived active area 34 for the display14 on which a user may perceive images as being displayed. As will bediscussed in greater detail below with respect to FIGS. 4A-6B,techniques may be implemented in the handheld device 40 to increase thesize of this perceived active area 34 to perceived active area 36. Thatis, techniques will be discussed to generate the perceived active area36, effectively shrinking the border area 38 surrounding the display 14and, thus, providing a user an effective larger display 14 area.

With the foregoing discussion in mind, it may be appreciated that anelectronic device 10 in either the form of a computer 30 or a handhelddevice 40 may be provided with a display 14 that includes an OLEDdisplay panel or layer. Such a display 14 may be utilized to display therespective operating system and application interfaces running on theelectronic device 10 and/or to display data, images, or other visualoutputs associated with an operation of the electronic device 10.Furthermore, techniques to increase the perceived size of this display14 will be discussed below.

Turning now to FIG. 4A, one embodiment of a display 14 for use in anelectronic device 10, as discussed above, is depicted. FIG. 4Aillustrates a top view of the display 14 of the electronic device 10,which may be an organic light emitting diode (OLED). The display 14 maybe made up of pixels 44 disposed in a pixel array or matrix. In such anarray, each pixel 44 may be defined by the intersection of rows andcolumns, represented here columns 46, 48, and 50. In one embodiment,pixels 44 in column 46 may represent red pixels (i.e., pixels 44 thatare used to generate red light), pixels 44 in column 48 may representgreen pixels (i.e., pixels 44 that are used to generate green light),and pixels 44 in column 48 may represent blue pixels (i.e., pixels 44that are used to generate blue light). Although only eighty one pixels44 are shown for purposes of simplicity, it should be understood that inan actual implementation, each pixel array may include thousands,hundreds of thousands, or millions of such pixels 44. Moreover, in someembodiments, three pixels 44 of three different colors (e.g., red,green, and blue) may be stacked atop each other rather thanside-by-side.

Thus, as shown in the present embodiment, each pixel 44 includes anorganic light emitting diode (OLED) capable of emitting light of aparticular color. Each unit pixel 44 may be electrically connected drivecircuitry, represented in column 52. This drive circuitry may select anyparticular pixel on a given line (horizontal selection) and column(vertical selection). Thus, the drive circuitry in column 52 may operateto activate and/or provide a brightness control signal to any givenpixel 44 in the array. In conjunction, as various pixels 44 areactivated, an overall image is generated on the display 14.

In addition to drive circuitry in column 52, the display 14 includes aninactive border area 54. This inactive border 54 area may correspond toa mask, which may be a dark area through which no light may be emitted.Thus, the display 14 may include an active area 56 that includes each ofthe pixels 44 in the array (e.g., light emitting elements), as well as apassive area 58 of the display 14 that includes no light generatingelements. As such, the viewable area 60 of the display 14 (i.e., thearea of the display that is illuminated to a user) corresponds to thesize of the active area 56. This is further shown in FIG. 4A withrespect to a side view of a protective covering surface 62 that maycover the display 14 and extend to, for example, the enclosure 42 orbody that protects the interior components of the handheld electronicdevice 40. In one embodiment, this protective covering surface 62 may betouch screen such as a glass-based capacitive touch panel. Asillustrated in FIG. 4A, the viewable area 60 corresponds to theperceived active area 34 illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3. Past the viewablearea 60, the border 38 (i.e., non-illuminated portion of display 14) ispresent.

FIG. 4B illustrates a technique to extend the perceived active area 34of FIG. 4A to the perceived active area 36 illustrated in FIG. 4B. FIG.4B illustrates the display 14 with pixels 44 aligned in columns 46, 48,and 50, as previously discussed with respect to FIG. 4A. Additionally,FIG. 4B illustrates drive circuitry, represented in column 52 and theinactive border area 54 as previously discussed with respect to FIG. 4A.As such, the display 14 in FIG. 4B has an identical active area 56 andpassive area 58 as illustrated in FIG. 4A. However, the viewable area 64of the display 14 in FIG. 4B differs from the viewable area 60 in FIG.4A.

As illustrated in FIG. 4B, the viewable area 64 of the display 14 (i.e.,the area of the display that is illuminated to a user) covers both thepixels 44 and the drive circuitry in column 52. This extension of theviewable area 64 with respect to viewable area 60 may be accomplished bymodification of the protective covering surface 62. As illustrated inFIG. 4B, the protective covering surface 62 may include a flat area 70that extends over a portion of the pixel array. This flat area 70 maycover, for example, approximately 50%, 60%, 66%, 70%, 75% or more of thepixel array of the display 14. Extending from this flat area 70 of theprotective covering surface 62 is a light pipe 66. The light pipe 66 mayfunction to transport or distribute light from the pixel array across,for example, the drive circuitry area in column 52 of the display 14 togenerate a perceived active area 36 corresponding to the perceivedactive area 36 illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3.

In one embodiment, the light pipe 66 may extend the thickness of theprotective covering surface 62 by an amount 72 equal to, for example,approximately 10%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 33%, 40%, 45%, 50% or more of thethickness of the protective covering surface 62 in flat area 70.Additionally, the light pipe may extend from the flat area 70 of theprotective covering surface 62 at an angle 68 of, for example,approximately 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30?, 33%, 40% or more with respectto the flat area 70. In this manner, through the use of the light pipe66, the viewable area 64 of the display 14 covers both the pixels 44 andthe drive circuitry in column 52, thus generating a perceived activearea 36 greater than perceived active area 34 of FIG. 4A.

FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate another technique to extend the perceivedactive area 34 of an electronic device 10 to a perceived active area 36.FIG. 5A illustrates a display 14 of the electronic device 10 thatincludes pixels 44 aligned in columns 46, 48, and 50, drive circuitry,represented in column 52, and an inactive border area 54 as previouslydiscussed with respect to FIG. 4A. In this configuration, the display 14of FIG. 5A has an active area 56, passive area 58, and viewable area 60similar to those illustrated in FIG. 4A. A technique to extend thisviewable area 60 of FIG. 5A is illustrated in FIG. 5B.

FIG. 5B illustrates a configuration of the display 14 that extends theviewable area 60 (and, thus, the perceived active area 34 of the display14) of FIG. 5A. FIG. 5B illustrates the display 14 with pixels 44aligned in columns 46, 48, and 50, as previously discussed with respectto FIG. 5A. These columns 46, 48, and 50 may be separated from both thedrive circuitry in column 52 and the inactive border area 54 by anactive border area 84, represented by columns 74, 76, 78, and 80. Thatis, an active area 82 includes pixels 44 aligned in columns 46, 48, and50, while the active border area 84 includes pixels 44 intermixed withdrive circuitry elements 81. In this manner the pixel pitch (i.e., thedistance between pixels) at the border area (the area of the displayadjacent the drive circuitry in column 52 and the inactive border area54) is increased relative to the pixel pitch of the pixels 44 in theactive area 82 (i.e., a central area of the display 14 adjacent theborder area) such that a pixel 44 may be spaced apart from a neighboringpixel 44 and separated therefrom by a drive circuit element.

In the illustrated example in FIG. 5B, it should be noted that theequivalent of columns 46, 48, 50, and drive circuitry column 52 areinterlaced to generate columns 74, 76, 78, and 80. That is, red, green,and blue pixels 44 are interspersed drive circuitry elements 81.Moreover, it is noted that during the interspersing of the pixels 44 anddrive elements 81, no pixel 44 in any of the columns 74, 76, 78, or 80is placed directly above, below, to the left, or to the right of asimilarly colored pixel 44. By avoiding placement of adjacent similarcolored pixels 44, undesirable visual artifacts may he minimized.Moreover, while one particular configuration of the interspersed ofpixels 44 with drive circuitry elements 81 is illustrated in FIG. 5B, itshould be noted that other configurations are contemplated.

As illustrated in FIG. 5B, by interspersing drive circuitry in columns74, 76, 78, and 80 of the active border area 84, a viewable area 86 maybe generated. It should be noted that this viewable area 86 is largerthan the viewable area 60 of FIG. 5A. That is, while viewable area 60 ofFIG. 5A corresponds to perceived active area 34 of the display 14, theviewable area 86 of FIG. 5B corresponds to perceived active area 36 ofthe display 14. In this manner, a user viewing the display 14 of FIG. 5Bwill perceive the display to he larger than a user viewing the display14 of FIG. 5A.

FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate an additional technique to extend theperceived active area 34 of an electronic device 10 to a perceivedactive area 36. FIG. 6A illustrates a display 14 of the electronicdevice 10 that includes pixels 44 aligned in columns 46, 48, and 50,drive circuitry, represented in column 52, and an inactive border area54 as previously discussed with respect to FIGS. 4A and 5A. In thisconfiguration, the display 14 of FIG. 6A has an active area 56, passivearea 58, and viewable area 60 similar to those illustrated in FIGS. 4Aand 5A. A technique to extend this viewable area 60 of FIG. 6A isillustrated in FIG. 6B.

FIG. 6B illustrates a configuration of the display 14 that extends theviewable area 60 (and, thus, the perceived active area 34 of the display14) of FIG. 6A. FIG. 6B illustrates the display 14 with pixels 44aligned in columns 46, 48, and 50, as previously discussed with respectto FIG. 6A. These columns 46, 48, and 50 may be grouped into an activearea 88 and a condensed active area 90, as illustrated in FIG. 6B. Inone embodiment, the pixels 44 in the active area 88 are identicallysized to the pixels in active area 56 of FIG. 6A. In contrast, thepixels 44 in the condensed active area 90 may be smaller than the pixelsin the active area 88 of FIG. 6B. In one embodiment, the pixels 44 inthe condensed active area 90 may be equal to, for example, approximately20%, 25%, 30%, 33%, 40%, 45%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 75% the size of the pixels44 in the active area 88 of FIG. 6B. In addition, the pixels 44 in thecondensed active area 90 of FIG. 6B may be driven at a greater intensitythan the pixels 44 in the active area 88. For example, the pixels 44 inthe condensed active area 90 may driven at an intensity equal toapproximately 110%, 120%, 125%, 130%, 133%, 140%, 145%, 150%, 160%,170%, 175%, 200%, 250%, or 300% of the intensity that the pixels 44 inthe active area 88 of FIG. 6B are driven. That is, the pixels 44 in thecondensed active area 90 (i.e., a border area of the display 14 adjacentthe drive circuitry) may be sized differently and driven differentlythan pixels 44 in the active area 88 (i.e., a central area of thedisplay 14 adjacent the border area).

Accordingly, through the use of smaller pixels 44 driven at a greaterintensity in the condensed active area 90, viewable area 92 may begenerated. It should be noted that this viewable area 92 is larger thanthe viewable area 60 of FIG. 6A. That is, while viewable area 60 of FIG.5A corresponds to perceived active area 34 of the display 14, theviewable area 92 of FIG. 5B corresponds to perceived active area 36 ofthe display 14. In this manner, a user viewing the display 14 of FIG. 6Bwill perceive the display to be larger than a user viewing the display14 of FIG. 6A.

The specific embodiments described above have been shown by way ofexample, and it should be understood that these embodiments ay besusceptible to various modifications and alternative forms. It should befurther understood that the claims are not intended to be limited to theparticular forms disclosed, but rather to cover all modifications,equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope ofthis disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electronic device, comprising: a displaycomprising: an array of pixels that forms an active area of the display,the array of pixels having a first pixel pitch; and a plurality ofpixels that forms an active border area of the display that surroundsthe active area, the plurality of pixels having a second pixel pitchthat is greater than the first pixel pitch; and a transparent coverstructure that overlaps the display, wherein the transparent coverstructure has a first portion that defines a plane and overlaps theactive area, wherein the transparent cover structure has a secondportion that is bent out of the plane and overlaps the plurality ofpixels, and wherein the second portion redirects light from theplurality of pixels.
 2. The electronic device defined in claim 1,wherein the transparent cover structure has first and second opposingsurfaces, the first surface receiving light from the array of pixels andthe plurality of pixels and the second surface having a viewable areafrom which the light from the array of pixels and the plurality ofpixels is viewable.
 3. The electronic device defined in claim whereinthe viewable area is larger than a combined area of the array of pixelsand the plurality of pixels.
 4. The electronic device defined in claim2, wherein the display further comprises: a passive area that includesno light generating elements.
 5. The electronic device defined in claim4, wherein the active border area is interposed between the active areaand the passive area.
 6. The electronic device defined in claim 5,wherein the viewable area extends over the passive area of the display.7. The electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the display furthercomprises a plurality of drive circuitry elements that provide controlsignals to the array of pixels and wherein the plurality of drivecircuitry elements are interspersed with the plurality of pixels in theactive border area.
 8. The electronic device defined in claim I, whereinthe electronic device has a front face with a rectangular periphery andwherein the display is formed at the front face, the electronic devicefurther comprising: a speaker at the front face; and a camera at thefront face.
 9. An electronic device, comprising: a display comprising:an array of pixels that forms an active area of the display, the arrayof pixels having a periphery and a first pixel pitch; and a plurality ofpixels at the periphery of the array of pixels, the plurality of pixelshaving a second pixel pitch that is different than the first pixelpitch; and a transparent cover structure that overlaps the display,wherein the transparent cover structure has a first portion that definesa plane and overlaps the active area, wherein the transparent coverstructure has a second portion that extends out of the plane andoverlaps the plurality of pixels, and wherein the second portionredirects light from the plurality of pixels.
 10. The electronic devicedefined in claim 9, wherein the display further comprises: a passivearea that includes no light generating elements.
 11. The electronicdevice defined in claim 10, wherein the plurality of pixels isinterposed between the active area and the passive area.
 12. Theelectronic device defined in claim 10, wherein the transparent coverstructure comprises a light pipe that redirects light from at least onepixel of the plurality of pixels to a viewable area that overlaps thepassive area of the display.
 13. The electronic device defined in claim9, wherein the display has a perceived active area with a first width,wherein the array of pixels and the plurality of pixels have a secondwidth, and wherein the first width is greater than the second width. 14.The electronic device defined in claim 13, wherein the transparent coverstructure has a first surface that faces the array of pixels and theplurality of pixels and an opposing second surface with a viewable areathat defines the perceived active area.
 15. The electronic devicedefined in claim 9, wherein the second portion of the transparent coverstructure comprises a light pipe.
 16. An electronic device, comprising:a display comprising: an array of pixels that forms an active area ofthe display, the array of pixels having a first pixel pitch; a pluralityof pixels that forms an active border area of the display that surroundsthe active area, the plurality of pixels having a second pixel pitchthat is greater than the first pixel pitch; and a passive area thatincludes no light generating elements; and a transparent cover structurethat overlaps the display, wherein the transport cover structure hasfirst and second opposing surfaces, the first surface receiving lightfrom the array of pixels and the plurality of pixels and the secondsurface having a viewable area that covers the passive area of thedisplay.
 17. The electronic device defined in claim 16, wherein theactive border area is interposed between the active area and the passivearea.
 18. The electronic device defined in claim 16, wherein thetransparent cover structure comprises a light pipe that redirects lightto the viewable area over the passive area.
 19. The electronic devicedefined in claim 16, wherein a plurality of drive circuitry elements areformed in the passive area.
 20. The electronic device defined in claim19, wherein an additional plurality of drive circuitry elements areformed in the active border area.